I tend to see various random threads on here about things people do to either finance their coin addictions or further their collections so I thought I would add mine to the mix since it is a little strange.....but also helpful if you love coins and don't want to spend any of your hard earned money to get them. About six months ago i heard from a friend at work that they earned extra money by selling their plasma. I originally thought it sounded either dangerous, unhealthy, or just gross but he explained to me that it was relatively easy, quick, and painless. I found out that you can go to these places and give your plasma (different than blood) and that they would pay you for it. They give you 50 bucks the first two times you go (you can only go twice a week max where I live) and then they give you between 60-70 bucks a week after that as long as you go twice....it is based on your weight whether you get 60 or 70 btw. So I was thinking that since I am always doing stuff like crh to try to find silver and other stuff like that, that maybe this would be worth my time. You go in and they have a computer set up that asks you some questions, then they test your blood really quick to see if you are healthy, and then you go back and have them take your plasma in a way that is not hurtful or stressful at all as long as you don't mind needles. They give you a visa card when you go the first time and then whenever you go they put money on it. I go on my days off tuesday and thursday and I am usually in and out in under two hours.....so I get around 280 bucks or so a month doing this which I only use to buy coins/bullion. I find it complements my normal collecting nicely and is a helpful way to build up my reserves of ASE's and other bullion without having to spend my normal income and I do it in the time I would normally be relaxing on my days off.....I have never felt sick or anything from doing this either. Now I know it is not a ton of money and I would not do it otherwise but to me it is fun because I love going at the end of the month and getting a few hundred dollars worth of coins for just sitting on my butt reading a book while they take my plasma.......oh yeah and they tell me my blood is helping someone or something like that too. Just thought i'd post this in case there is anyone else out there who likes hoarding silver and is looking for a painless way to do it without spending your normal income. PEACE!
This sounds like a horrendous way to raise money for a hobby. Although it may feel "painless", it does take a toll on your body. Now if I had to get food on my family's table that would be a different story.
what is plasma, exactley? And thats a large chunk of money just to get extra for donating something. But theres a reason people pay for plasma, I believe. It is needed, and it is in supply/demand. mabye you will run out of this so called plasma, and wIf i were you I would go no more than once in 1 or two months, although as a YN i could really use the cash. Edit: and as tyler said I totally agree it is a health hazard.
Plasma is the yellowish fluid that holds the blood cells. I think it aids in healing and clotting. I am not 100% sure about this. BTW OP, you aren't donating anything. They most likely resell your plasma to a hospital or doctors office for much more than they paid you. GAJ, fortunately and unfortunately for you they wouldn't let a minor sell his plasma.
Unfortunately, if you live where I do for long enough you are not allowed to give blood or anything like that due to the prevalence of lyme disease here.
yeah I know I am not donating it but selling it.....they tell me it is harmless as my body reproduces it with little to no ill effects to me.....although I know they would hardly tell me otherwise.......and they do test your blood right before you go in to make sure your levels of iron and protein and such is staying constant......all in all it doesn't make me feel bad or anything, it doesn't physically hurt, and from the research I have done it doesn't seem to be hurting me any......and I love the coins I get but I will do a little more research on it tonight because now I am worried that it will make me more prone to infection or something.....but that being said I am holding all the bullion I have bought with my so called "blood money" because I keep them seperate for times like this where I doubt that I should be doing this.....i wonder if i am just being coin greedy but it seems like this is worth it in the short term for me although i might consider taking a month off or so since I am not hurting for money and my body might want to recover.
Donating does little to no harm to your body whatsoever so long as the donor is healthy. I donate regularly, not for money, but to the armed services blood bank for my fellow servicemen and women.
Your body replenishes the amount taken from you within 24 hours or less......however my Blood or Plasma is not for sale! It is given to anyone whom needs it...no questions asked....as if you ever needed a transfusion the cost of a unit of blood is a heck of alot more than the $50 they give you...and in this poster view..... Mine is priceless just like the life it may save....with that said it' takes about 20 mins to give a pint of blood giving someone who needs it bad a life time to live. Not passing any judgments here......$50 is nothing compared to knowing you truly made a difference.
As long as the rules are followed, there are minimal risks of donating/selling plasma. One of my old college roommates used to do this and had no ill effects. He also would participate in drug trials, sleep deprivation studies, etc. and made thousands of dollars doing it. He was sort of a human guinea pig and took some ribbing for it but always had plenty of beer money. :cheers: TC
I wouldn't personally do it because I'm a fraidy-cat when it comes to needles. But I don't see a problem with it at all. They need the blood, and are willing to pay for it. I'm not going to judge some who buys coins with this blood money vs donating it to a good cause vs paying bills vs buying out the local candy store. I say go for it!
I would think that if you keep getting stuck like that every week, you arms will start to look like a junkie's.
Here's Wikipedia's take on plasma donation; this is part of a much longer article. It's the last sentence (below) that concerns me a little. Oh, and are you reporting the proceeds on your income tax? Since it's ancillary to your regular income, it's taxed at the highest incremental rate. ====================== Plasma donation Plasma is used in blood transfusions, typically as fresh frozen plasma (FFP) or Plasma Frozen Within 24 Hours After Phlebotomy (PF24). When donating whole blood or packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions, ABO blood type O- is the most desirable and is considered a "universal donor," since it has neither A nor B antigens and can be safely transfused to most recipients. Type AB+ is the "universal recipient" type for whole blood or PRBC donations. However, for plasma the situation is somewhat reversed. Blood donation centers will sometimes collect only plasma from AB donors through apheresis, as their plasma does not contain the antibodies that may cross react with recipient antigens. As such, AB is often considered the "universal donor" for plasma. Special programs exist just to cater to the male AB plasma donor, because of concerns about transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) and female donors who may have higher leukocyte antibodies.[SUP][9][/SUP] However, some studies show an increased risk of TRALI despite increased leukocyte antibodies in women who have been pregnant.[SUP][10][/SUP] Safety and compensation to donors In contrast to whole blood donation, plasma donation may be done much more often (3 times per week in some jurisdictions, compared to once per 8 weeks for whole blood donation), because the whole blood cells are returned to the body during the donation process, and most plasma is naturally replaced by the body within 48 hours. Also in contrast to whole blood donation, plasma donors are often compensated financially ($10–$100 per week for 5 +/- 2 hours of time, normally). It is usually a compensation for time and trouble, not a "purchase" or "sale" of a body part, for various legal, ethical, and cultural reasons. Professional donation centers use sterile and safe practices.
Why do you feel the need to comment on something you know absolutely nothing about? Let me see if I have the order right: confusion, assertion, obviousness, confusion again (this time on my part) and finally advice!?
well it sounds like you think you are saving a life better than me because you give your blood/plasma away while I greedily charge for it? Its not like I am running a plasma stand on the corner, they need it to save lives and they compensate me for the time it takes to donate it....if I get 60 dollars for 4 hours of donating its not like I am charging an arm and a leg.......I love how people put things like "not passing judgement on anyone" and then write a post that sounds like nothing but....it sounds like recognition is the currency in which you sell your plasma while coin money is mine.
love it.....I was thinking the same thing....but I wrote this post for other YM's out there who may want to start stacking silver/coins but need an additional resource to do so.
